Picker mechanism



Dec. 19, 1933. w w OSLUND 1,940,011

PICKER MECHANISM Filed March 27, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 19, 1933. w. W, L D 1,940,011

PICKER MECHANISM Filed March 27, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 702722 71 QJ'ZOII? MQQEQ Qaar -r DCC. 19, 1933. w w OSLUND 1,940,011

PICKER MECHANISM Filed March 27, 19:53 5 Sheets-Sheet s 775K722 17 Odie/7? agnor W. W. OSLUND PICKER MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 27 1933 Jm 71 5172 V Owl r12? Dec. 19, 1933.

l l l Dec. 19, 1933. w, w, OSLUND I PICKER MECHANISM Filed March 27, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 I 27%; Ware/ w c175 Patented Dec. 19, 1933 PATENT OFFICE PICKER MECHANISM Walter W. Oslund, Holden, Mass.

Application March 27, 1933.

18 Claims.

This invention relates to picker mechanisms, and more particularly to a mechanism forming part of a labeling machine and arranged to transfer labels from a label holder and place 5 them in contact with the articles to be labeled.

My invention is well adapted for use in a label ing machine of therotary type, which comprises I a rotary table on which the articles, such as glass bottles, are supported during the labeling 1O operation. In machines of this type, it is customary to employ a pair-of spaced substantially parallel picker blades which are first coated with adhesive and then moved into contact with the labels in a label holder to remove a set of labels therefrom. The pickers are then moved to a position in front of the article, and a label gripper is brought into contact with the central portions of the labels to hold them against the article, whereupon the pickers are withdrawn and the cycle is repeated for the next article. Since these machines are frequently used for labeling as many .as one hundred articles per minute, it is of the greatest importance to avoid excessively long paths of movement for the pickers, as otherwise they must operate at extremely high speeds.

In one prior construction, the pickers are mounted directly above the rotary table and arranged to swing through an arc of approximately ninety degrees about a fixed horizontal axis. Because of this long are of travel the pickers must operate at an extremely high angular velocity, which not only causes shocks and excessive wear to the driving mechanism, but also results in a considerable amount of adhesive being thrown off by centrifugal force, aided by gravity. Most of this adhesive collects on the rotary table and associated parts, including the articles to be labeled.

In another prior construction the pickers are moved ina horizontal path substantially radially with respect to the table. wise necessitates a very high speed because of the comparatively longpath of travel. Furthermore such an arrangement makes it impossible for the pickers to be withdrawn from in front of the moving article, and the article must pass between the pickers before they can be withdrawn. If, as is usually the case, the labels are short in comparison with the width of the article, itis necessary to provide swivel pickers orsome similar complicated and expensive arrangement to allow room for the article to pass between the pickers.

The adhesive is ordinarily applied to the pickers by means of a roller which is reciprocated in contact with the pickers. It frequently happens, as a result of W82tl 0f the various parts or in accuracies in manufacture and assembly, that the roller fails to contact properly with both the This construction like- Serial No. 662,873

picker blades, and consequently the adhesive is not applied evenly. Operators often attempt to overcome this diiliculty by bending the roller shaft, but this is likely to injure the driving and supporting mechanism for the shaft, and is at besta crude and unsatisfactory procedure.

It is one object of the present invention to overcome these difficulties and to provide a simple and inexpensive picker mechanism so arranged that the'pickers will have a comparatively short path of travel;

It is a further object of the invention to provide a picker mechanism for a rotary labeling machine which will move the pickers from in front of the articles being labeled without the necessity of passing the articles between the pickers, and which is so arranged as to avoid the throwing off of adhesive from the pickers.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a picker mechanism for a rotary labeling machine which is so arranged that the pickers will move from in front of the articles, and the adhesive will be applied to the pickers while they are positioned at one side of the rotary table.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a simple and inexpensive picker mechanism movable through a cycle which can be repeated 'very rapidly without excessive shock or wear on the driving parts.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a simple and inexpensive picker mechanism which will remove labels from'the label holder only when the machine is supplied with articles to be labeled. I

It is a further object of the invention to provide a simple and eifective adjusting means whereby an accurate alignment may be readily obtained between the pickers and the roller which applies adhesive thereto.

With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth in the specification and covered 'by the claims appended hereto.

'In the preferred form of my invention, pickers are arranged to reciprocate'in an arc about a substantially vertical axis. When the invention used as a portionof a rotary labeling machine, this axis is located at one side of the rotary table. The arc of movement is preferably comparatively short, and the arrangement is such that at one limit of their movement the pickers remove labels from a label holder, and at the other limit of their movement they place these labels against the article to be labeled. In the prefe red construction, the pickers are also oscillated in a comparatively short are about a substantially horizontal axis which oscillates about the vertical axis. This the ported by suitable brackets 25.

movement about the horizontal axis can be used to give the pickers sufficient speed to avoid interference with the article as they are removed from in front thereof, and it can also be used to swing the pickers into actual contact with the labels in the label holder. The label holder is preferably inclined, so that gravity may be utilized to feed the labels. This makes it necessary that the pickers should be inclined considerably when they contact with the labels, and in most cases they must be only slightly inclined when adjacent to the article being labeled. The above described compound movement of oscillation about two axes provides a very satisfactory and practical means for producing the desired result. The pickers are preferably angularly adjustable on their support so that an accurate alignment may be readily obtained between the pickers and the adhesive roller.

Referring to the drawings illustrating one embodiment of the invention and in which like reference numerals indicate like parts,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a portion of a labeling machine;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the machine, certain parts being shown in section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and other parts being removed;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4; Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. .4, but showing the parts in the positions which they assume when no bottle is on the table;

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is a section on the line 9-9 of Fig. 1; Fig. .10 is a section on the line 10-10 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 11 is a section on the line 11-11 of Fig. 4; Fig. 12 is a side elevation showing the pickers in position to apply labels to a bottle;

. Fig. 13 is a front elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 12;

Fig. 14 is a section on the line 14-14 of Fig. 13;

Fig. 15 is a section on .the line 15-15 of Fig. 12; and V Fig. 16 is a view similar to Fig. 15, but showing a slight modification.

the bottles to a position near he table, and a rotary feed turret 24 transfers the bottles from the conveyor to the table, where they are sup- The turret 24 is mounted on the upper end ofa vertical shaft 26, and'arranged to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1. An arcuate guide- .rail 27 is provided to support the bottles while they are being transferred by the turret.

As shown particularly in Fig. 2, a bevel gear 29 is mounted on the lower end of shaft 21, and a bevel gear 30 is mounted on the lower end of shaft 26. These shafts are driven by means of a horizontal shaft 31 carrying two bevel pinions 33 and 34 which mesh with the gears 29 and 30 respectively. The shafts 21, 26 and 31 are all mounted in bearings supported by a suitable frame 35. The horizontal shaft 31 is driven by any suitable source of power (not shown), and the usual clutch 36 is provided so that the machine may readily be started or stopped when desired.

Associated'with the table 20 are label grippers S8 -of well-known construction which are fastened to arms 39. These arms are mounted on the upper ends of vertical shafts 46 which extend through the table and which are arranged to be oscillated relative to the table by means of a stationary face cam 42 beneath the table.

At one side of the table 20 I provide a label holder 44 which is preferably inclined, as shown particularly in Fig. 3, in order to utilize gravity to assist the feeding of the labels. Label holders of this type are well known in the art, and a detailed description is therefore unnecessary.

In order to transfer labels from the label holder 44 to the bottles on the table, I utilize a pair of spaced fiat blades or pickers 46. These pickers are coated with adhesive, moved into contact with the labels in the label holder 44, and then, with a set of labels adhering to them, they are moved to a position above the table 20 and adjacent to a bottle thereon. A label gripper 38 'then moves into contact with the labels between the pickers and holds the labels against the bottle,-whereupon the pickers are withdrawn and the cycle is repeated.

In order-to actuate thepickers I provide a vertical shaft 48, which is located at one side of the table 20 and between the feed turret 24 and the label holder 44, as shown in Fig. 1. This shaft is preferably enclosed in a hollow vertical stand 49, the upper end'of the shaft being journaled in the'stand at (Fig. 10), and the lower end being supported in a bearing 52. A horizontal arm 53 is fastened to the upper end of the shaft, and the pickers 46 extend downwardly from this arm. Thrust washers 54 are provided between the arm 53 and the upper end of-the stand 49 to reduce friction and wear.

The shaft 48 is arranged to be oscillated, so that the pickers will reciprocate in an are about the axis of the shaft. For this purpose I have shown a spur gear segment 56 fastened to the shaft anddriven by a horizontal rack 57. This rack is slidably supported in suitable guide bearings 58, and means is provided to reciprocate the rack in synchronism with the delivery of the bottles to the table. In the illustrated embodi- -ment this reciprocation is brought about by a vertical arm connected at its upper end to the rack 57 by means of a horizontal link 61, which is preferably adjustable in length. The lower end of the arm 60 is pivotally supported on a bracket-62 by means of a pin 64. As shown particularly in Fig. 5, the arm 60 is formed with a projecting portion 65 which carries a cam follower or roller 66,-and this roller 66 is positioned within the groove-68 in a face'cam 69 mounted on the shaft 31. This shaft completes one'rotation for each bottle which is delivered to the table. In the illustrated embodiment, the feeding turret 24 handles three bottles at each rotation, and the shaft 26 will therefore rotate at exactly one third the speed of the shaft 31.

' Similarly, if thetable 20 is provided with four the lever 82.

are between a position above the table, and a position near the label holder. The cam 69 is shaped to stop the pickers directly in front of a bottle, so that the labels may be readily clampedagainst the bottle by the label gripper. When the pickers are in this position, which is shown in full lines in Fig. 12, they are preferably inclined slightly to coincide with the taper of the bottles. However this inclination is considerably less than that of the label holder,

which is preferably inclined at a sufficient angle a to ensure'proper feeding of the labels, and means must be provided to bring about a proper contact between the pickers and the. labels. Furthermore, the bottle is traveling with the table, and it is difiicult to shape the cam 59 so that it will move the pickers quickly enough as they leave the table to avoid interference with the bottle and label gripper.

In order to overcome these dilficulties, I provide means for oscillating the pickers about a substantially horizontal axis in synchronism with their movements about the vertical shaft 48. For this purpose I have showna horizontalshaft 71 rotatably supported in the arm 53 and arranged to carry the pickers on its outer end. A short arm '72 is fastened to the inner end of the shaft 71, and this arm carries on its end a square block or follower 73 (Fig. 9) which is pivotally attached to'the arm by means of a pll- '75. This pin is parallel to the shaft 71. The block 73 is slidable in an arcuate guideway 76 which is U-shaped in cross-section and concentric with the vertical shaft 48.

In order to oscillate the horizontal shaft 71,

'I provide means for reciprocating the guideway '76 in a vertical direction. For this purpose I have shown a vertical rod or bar 77, preferably square in cross-section which is slidably supported in guide bearings 79. The upper end of the bar 77 is fastened to the guideway 76, andv a diagonal brace 80 is. provided between these parts to strengthen the construction. The bar 77 is reciprocated by means of a lever 82 fulcrummed on a pin 33 carried by a bracket 84. This lever is provided atone end with, a cam follower or roller 86 which positioned within a groove 87 in a face 88., This cam is mounted on the shaft 31. The other end of the lever 82 is connected to the bar 77 by means of an articulated link formed by an upper link so and a lower link .91. The upper end end of the upper link 90 is pivoted to the bar 77, and the lower end of the lower link 91 is pivoted to These links 90 and 91 are provided with cooperating abutments 92, and these abutments are normally held in contact by means of a coiled tension. spring 94 which extends between lateral projections 95 on the With this construction the links are held in alignment and can transmit the necessary force to reciprocate the bar 77.

As shown particularly in Fig. 4, the cam groove ,87 is so shapedas to cause two complete oscillathe labels. It is desirable that the pickers should"v not pick labels unless there is a bottle on the table to receive them. I therefore provide means to reduce the extent of the second oscillation whenever an empty bottle bracket approaches the labeling position. For this purpose I have shown a vertical rod 9'7 pivoted at its lower end to the projection 95 on the lower link 91. This rod 9'7 is formed with a single tooth 98' which will engage one of the guide bearings '79 and limit the upward movement of the rod unless the rod is swung away from the bearing. A tension spring 99 urges the rod toward the bearing. The upper end of the rod 97 is connected by a horizontal. rod 101 to a small bell crank lever 102 (Fig. 6) pivotally mounted near the table 20. If a bottle has been delivered to the table by the feeding turret 24, this bottle will strike the bell crank lever 102 and hold the rod 97 away from the guide bearing l9, so that the pickers may make a full oscillation. If, however, no bottle has been delivered to the table, the

' tooth 98 will strike the guide bearing before the oscillation of the pickers when they are near the label holder is preferably somewhat greater than their oscillation above the table, so that the latter oscillation can remain constant in amplitude irrespective of the position of the rod 97.

It is necessary to apply adhesive tothe pickers before they are brought into contact with the labels. In order that this may be accomplished, I so shape the cams 88 and 69 that the pickers will dwell for a moment as they reach the position shown in Fig. 3. During this moment, a cylindrical roller 104 is passed upwardly and then downwardly over the pickers to coat them with adhesive. This roller 104 is rotatably mounted on the upper end of a bar 105 which is slidable in a guide bearing 106. This guide bearing is inclined at the same angle as the pickers before they start to pick. The bar 105 is reciprocated by means of a lever 108 which is fulcrumed at 109. One end of the lever is connected to the bar 105 by means of a link 110, and the other end of the lever is provided with a cam follower roll 112 which is positioned within thegroove 113 in a face'cam 114 mounted on the shaft 31. As the cam rotates it serves to rock the lever 108 and thusreciprocate the bar. 105 and roller 104. An adhesive reservoir or pot 116 is mounted near the lowermost position of the roller 104, and as is usualin this art the pot is provided with a drum 117 which is slowly rotated by means not shown. When the roller 104 reaches the lower limit of its movement, it contacts with the drum 117 and receives a coating of adhesive which it subsequently transfers to the pickers.

It is frequently found, after a machine of this For this purpose the pickers are cnd this bracket is pivotally attached tothe shaft 71 by means of a pin 120 which is substantially parallel to the pickers. The end portion of the shaft 71 is preferably flattened on four sides as shown to provide a firm and well-fitting joint with the bracket 119. Two screws 121 extend through this bracket into contact with the shaft. By adjusting these screws it is possible to turn the bracket slightly about the pin 120 and thus obtain an accurate alignment between the pickers and the adhesive roller. In some cases I prefer to provide a coiled spring 123 between each screw 121 and the shaft 71, as shown in Fig. 16. This will permit the pickers to yield slightly if there is any misalignment between the pickers and the adhesive roller or the label holder. In this manner I ensure not only an even coating of adhesive on the pickers, but also a proper contact of the pickers with the labels.

The operation of the invention will now be apparent from the above disclosure. The shaft 31 is rotated by any suitable source of power, and this in turn rotates the feeding turret 24 and the table 20. The unlabeled bottles are brought to thefeeding turret by means of the conveyor 22, and the turret transfers them to the table 20, each bottle being supported on the table by one of the brackets 25.. As each bottle is carried around by the table, it strikes the bell crank lever 102 and pulls the rod 97 away from the guide bearing '79 in opposition to the spring 99, so that the tooth 98 cannot strike the bearing. At the same time the cam 88 acts through the lever 82, links and 91, and bar '77 to lift the guideway 76. This in turn lifts the arm 72 and turns the horizontal shaft '71, thus swinging the adhesive coated pickers 46 into contact with a set of labels in the label holder 44. The labels adhere to the pickers, and the cam 88 immediately swings the pickers downward to their original position. At the same time the cam 69 acts through the arm 60, link 61, rack 57 and gear segment 56 to turn the vertical shaft 48 and the horizontal arm 53, thus moving the pickers through an arc to a position above the table and directly in front of the moving bottle, as shown particularly in full lines in Fig. 12. When the parts reach this position, one of the label grippers 38 is swung into contact with the labels between the pickers, whereupon the cam 88 swings the pickers into the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 12, and the cam 69 swings them through an are away from the table. As soon as the pickers are clear of the moving bottle and label gripper, they return to their original angle, under the control of the cam 88. When the pickers reach the position shown in Fig. 3, they dwell for an instant while the cam 114 causes the roller 104 to travel upwardly and then downwardly over their surfaces, thus coating them with adhesive- As soon as this is done, the cycle will be repeated. In case an empty bracket 25 passes the bell crank 102, the tooth 98 will strike the bearing '79 as the lever 82 moves upwardly to swing the pickers into contact with the labels. This will throw the links 90 and 91 out of line and shorten the swing of the pickers. Hence the pickers will not contact with the labels unless there is a bottle on the table which will be in position to receive the labels as the pickers swing over the table. It will be understood that after the labels have been applied to a bottle, they will be wiped into smooth contact with the bottle by the usual Wiping devices (not shown), whereupon the bottle will be removed from the table by suitable means.

By adjusting the screws 121 it is possible to obtain an accurate alignment between the pickers and the adhesive roller 104. Furthermore, with the construction shown in Fig. 16, slight inaccuracies in alignment between the pickers and the label holder will be cared for by the springs 123.

It will be clear from an inspection of Fig. 1 that the pickers reciprocate in a comparatively short are (approximately 45 degrees in the embodiment illustrated). As a result of this short path of travel, the pickers can be moved at a slower speed than is possible with prior constructions. This not only decreases the shock and wear on the various parts, but it also avoids the throwing off of adhesive by centrifugal action. The adhesive is applied to the pickers While they are away from the the table, and there is no danger of spattering adhesive on the table and bottles. Since the pickers are withdrawn from in front of the bottles after applying the labels thereto, it is unnecessary to use swivel pickers. The entire picker mechanism is comparatively simple and inexpensive, and is well adapted to perform its intended functions.

This application is a continuation in part of my pr or application, Serial No. 655,401, filed February 6, 1933.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 1

1. A picker mechanism for a labeling machine comprising a label picker, means to reciprocate the picker in an are about a substantially vertical axis, and means to oscillate the picker about a substantially horizontal axis in synchronism with its movements about the vertical axis.

2. A picker mechanism for a labeling machine comprising a substantially vertical shaft, a member fixed to the shaft, a substantially horizontal shaft journaled in the member, a label picker fixed to "the horizontal shaft, means to oscillate the vertical shaft, and means to oscillate the horizontal shaft in synchronism with the oscillations of the vertical shaft. 7

3. A picker mechanism for a labeling machine comprising a substantially vertical shaft, an arm fixed to the shaft, a substantially horizontal shaft journaled inthe arm, a label picker fixed to the horizontal shaft and extending downwardly therefrom, means to oscillate the vertical shaft, and means to oscillate the horizontal shaft in synchronism with the oscillations of the vertical shaft.

4. A picker mechanism for a labeling machine comprising a substantially vertical shaft, a member fixed to the shaft, a substantially horizontal shaft journaled in the member, a label picker fixed to the horizontal shaft, an arm fixed to the horizontal shaft, an arcuate guideway concentric with the vertical shaft, a follower mounted on the arm and engaging the guideway, means to oscillate the vertical shaft,-

6. A picker mechanism for a labeling machine comprising a substantially horizontal shaft, a pair of spaced substantially parallel label pickers mounted on the shaft and extending outwardly therefrom, and means to adjust the pickers relative to the shaft about an axis extending in the same general direction as the pickers.

7. A picker mechanism for a labeling machine comprising a substantially horizontal shaft, a bracket mounted on the shaft and pivotally adjustable about an axis substantially perpendicular to the shaft, and a pair of spaced substantially parallel label pickers fixed to the bracket and extending in the same general direction as the said axis.

8. A picker mechanism for a labeling machine comprising a supporting member, a pair of spaced substantially parallel label pickers pivoted to the member about an axis extending in the same general direction as the pickers, and yieldable means tending to p event movement of the pickers about the ass.

9. A labeling machine comprising a rotary table to support articles to be labeled, a label holder at one side of th table, a label picker, and means to reci rocate the picker in an are about a substantially vertical axis, the picker being above the table at one limit of travel and adjacent the label holder at the other limit of travel. 1 a

10. A labeling machine comprising a rotary table to support articles to be labeled, a feeding device at one side of the table to feed articles thereto, a label holder at one side of the substantially vertical shaft between the feeding device and the label holder, an arm extending outwardly from the shaft, a label picker extending downwardly from the arm and means to oscillate the shaft and thereby reciprocate the label picker in an are between a position above the table and a position near the label holder.

11. A labeling machine comprising a rotary table to support articles to be labeled, an inclined label holder at one side of the table, a label picker, means to reciprocate the picker in an are about a substantially vertical axis between a position above the table and a position near the label holder, and means to swing the picker about a substantially horizontal axis into contact with the labels in the label holder.

12. A labeling machine compri ing a rotary table to support articles to be labeled, an inclined label' holder at one side of the table, a label picker, means to reciprocate the picker in an are about a substantially vertical axis between a position above the table and position near the label holder, means to apply adhesive to the picker when it is near the label holder, and means to swing the adhesive coated picker about a substantially horizontal axis into com tact with the labels in the label hclde.

13. A labeling machine comprising a rotary table to support articles to be labeled, a feeding device at one side of the table to feed articles thereto, an inclined label holder at one side of the table, a substantially vertical shaft between the feeding device and the label holder, a member fixed to the shaft, a substantially horizontal shaft journaled in the member, a label picker fixed to the horizontal shaft and extending downwardly therefrom, means to oscillate the i tame, a

tical shafts, a label holder, a movable vertical shaft and thus reciprocate the picker between a position above the table and a position near the label holder, means to apply adhesive to the picker when it reaches the latter position, and means to oscillate the horizontal shaft and thus swing the adhesive coated picker into contact with the labels in the label holder.

14. A labeling machine comprising a rotary table to support ar icles to be labeled, a feeding device at one side of the table to feed articles thereto, an inclined labelholder at one side of the table, a substantially vertical shaft between the feeding device and the label holder, a member fixed to the shaft, a substantially horizontal shaft journaled in the member, a label picker fixed to the horizontal shaft and extending downwardly therefrom, means to oscillate the vertical shaft and thus reciprocate the picker between a position above the table and a position near the label holder, means to cause a complete oscillation of the horizontal shaft as the picker starts to leave the first position,

means to apply adhesive to the picker when it reaches the second position, and means to cause a second complete oscillation of the horizontal shaft and thus swing the adhesive coated picker into contact with the labels in the label holder.

15. A labeling machine'oomprising a rotary table to support articles to be labeled, a rotary turret at one side of the table to feed articl s thereto, ver'ical shafts connected to the table and turret, a horizontal d1" ing shaft extending beneath the table and turret, bevel gears connecting the horizontal shaft with both the verpicker to transfer. labels from the label holder to articles on the table, and means including a cam mounted on the horizontal shaft to actuate said picker.

16. A labeling machine comprising means to support articles for the labeling operation, a label holder, a movable picker to transfer labels from the label holder to the articles, driving mechanism for the picker, and means to automatically decrease the path of travel of the pickers when there is no article in position to be labeled, thereby preventing the picker from contacting with the labels.

1?. A labeling machine comprising means to support articles for the labeling operation, a label holder, a movable picker to transfer labels from the label holder to the articles, driving mechanism for the picker including an articulated link, and means to thiow the parts of said link out of line when is no article in position to be labeled, thereby shortening the moveient of the picker and preventing the picker from contacting the labels.

18. A labeling machine'comprising a rotary table, brackets thereon to support articles for the labeling operation, a label holder, a movable picker to transfer labels from the label holder to the articles, driving mechanism for the picker including an articulated link, and means to throw the parts of said link out of line when an empty bracket approaches the'labeling position, thereby shortening the movement of the picker and preventing the picker from contacting with the labels.

WALTER W. OSLUND. 

